#whale lice

[dailybugfacts]

Pretty niche and disgusting, but I've always been fascinated by whale lice- entire groups of organisms that live exclusively on other massive animals, like an oceanic version of a turtle carrying a continent. Know anything about them?

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TODAY'S FACT IS

Did you know that Whale Lice (Cyamidae family) aren't actually lice? These crustaceans are more closely related to the skeleton shrimp than any insect. Each species of this parasitic crustacean prefers a specific species of whale to call host. The sperm whale, however, has 2 different whale lice, as one species, Cyamus catodontis, lives on male sperm whales and Neocyamus physeteris is only found on females and calves. These parasites tend to eat the algae and flaking skin on the outside of the whale's body.

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Photo of Neocyamus Physeteris by Jakob Fahr

[alithographica]

Just here to make whales a little less majestic.

Transcript below the cut.

Whale Lice 

[Illustration: A humpback whale is descending from the top of the frame. A circle enlargement shows a many-legged insect- or crab-like animal, a whale louse.]

In the vast openness of the ocean, a gigantic whale is like an island, playing host to a variety of smaller organisms. Barnacles are a well-known hitchhiker on whales, but they’re not the only ones: Whales are also hosts to their own type of lice. Whale lice aren’t a true louse like human lice. They’re actually a crustacean—like a crab—called an amphipod, or more specifically a cyamid, and can reach sizes of 0.5-1 in (1.3-2.5 cm) depending on the species. Whale lice eat algae and whale skin. Many sources consider them to be parasites for this reason, but they haven’t been shown to actually take off enough skin to harm the whale. As such, the relationship may be better termed as commensal: the whale lice benefits at no effect to the whale. The type of whale lice on a whale is dependent on the species of whale, and in some cases is even specific to a part of their body. Oddly, in 2004 researchers found a southern right whale calf with lice typical to humpback whales, with no lice from southern right whales. They proposed that this indicated that the calf was being raised by a humpback mother, apart from other southern right whales.

[edgescience]

The largest animals alive today, the whales, are not exempt from hitchhikers. They are living biomes of fat and muscle carrying with them whole ecosystems of predator and prey. One of their many hitchhikers has convergently evolved an appearance which resembles one of our handful of ectoparasites; lice. The relationship between whales and their lice is far more complicated than our relationship with our lice, and despite how disgusting they look, are super important to the health of an ecosystem.

[scavengersketches]

whale lice are officially my new favorite drawing subject

[finalposs]

Seizurecube’s Fakeween Challenge: “Day 24: ectoparasite”

Crustew (Rock/Poison) - A parasitic crustacean that loves to burrow into the flesh of soft-bodied sea creatures. When agitated, it brews a thick acidic fluid that burns the flesh of anything seeking to dislodge it. Swimming giants covered in Crustew leave a trail of poison wherever they go. This does wonders for discouraging predators! ...As well as friends, family, and potential mates.

Appaldron (Poison/Rock) - Sluggish Halitoceti that grow up in Crustew-infested waters will soon find themselves covered from head to tail. Weighted down and forever denied their aerial evolution, they’ll instead take to wearing the caustic hitchhikers as armor! Any foe that attempts to strike their stony hide will be rewarded with a shower of stinging acid.

Bizarrely enough, the toxic secretions of Appaldron are widely valued as an ingredient in perfumes!

[iheartvmt]

Orange whale lice on a right whale

[iheartvmt]

female Cyamus boopis

A whale louse is a parasitic crustacean of the family Cyamidae. They are related to the better-known skeleton shrimp, most species of which are found in shallower waters. Whale lice are external parasites, found in skin lesions, genital folds, nostrils and eyes of marine mammals of the order Cetacea. These include not only whales but also dolphins and porpoises.

[bogleech]

"WE REQUIRE MORE VESPINE GAS!"

These are actually harmless commensal symbionts on the back of a grey whale (photo source). The smaller "whale lice" are amphipod crustaceans who feed on dead skin cells and generally cause more benefit than harm, while the large barnacles feed on plankton as water passes over the host's body surface. Many types of barnacle may attach themselves to whales, but these are an example of a whale-specific species. Check out these empty shells:

Fortunately, a whale's skin is thick enough to not even notice these animals embedded so deeply in it.

All you trypophobes are clawing at yourselves now, aren't you? Oops!